Container



- June 1945. WATERS I CONTAINER Filed July 16, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTOR [far/y Jill uteri? I I B I X Y v ATTORNE June 5, 1945.

H. F. WATERS CONTAINER Filed Jill 16, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I293 48 45I'Qni 44;

43 a g 4 f 44 40 44 4, 4 42 42 42 1-. INVENTOR.

48 Mam ATTORNEY.

H. F. WATERS June 5, 1945.

CONTAINER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 16, 1943 v INVENTOR. Hanzyfl Wallerg,

ATTORNEY.

H. F. WATERS CONTAINER Filed July 16, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTDR.Hang l Waders, BY

ATTORNEY.

Patented June 5,1945

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,377,533 GONTAINEB. Harry F. Waters, NewYork, N. Y. Application July 16, .1943, Serial No. 494,939 I 4 Claims.(01. ace-3.5) 9

This invention relate to improvements in con- Fig. 8 is a verticalsection taken on line 8-4 of tainers and more particularly to containersprin- Fig. 6 and showing the bottom folds in flatcipally made of paperor cellulose products folded position 'of the container; which areliquid proofed, This application is a Fig. 9 is a bottom view. of theerected container continuation in part of my application Serial No. ofFig.6 and showing the bottom panels in snap- 232,292, originally filedSept. 29, 1938, for CondoWn,'c0ntainer-forming and locking position;

tainer. 1 r Fig. 10 is a perspective of the bottom structure One of theprincipal objects of the invention is and'associated side wall)structure of the erected to provide an improved waxtreated paperconcontainer;

tainer especially adapted for food products which 10 Fig. 11 is anelevation of the top of the conis provided with a liner that is not onlymoisture tainer showing the top-forming segments of the proof, but whichis adapted to be sterilized withside walls in open position; outdeterioration of its strength or moisture proof Fig. 12 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 11 showing a qualities. special gluing pattern, and

Another object of the invention is to provide 16- Fig'. 13 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 12 showing the an improved wax coated paper containerwhich completed top structure with all panels secured is flexible, maybe folded from a blank to a unit inplace. capacity container, which maybe steam ster- It is well known that wax coated milk bottles ilized, andwhich is externally impervious to moisand similar food containers havenot proved enture after heat treatment comparable to the pas- 20 tirelysuccessful as they cannot be sterilized and telirization of milk. inmany States where strict regulation is in force,

still further object of the invention is to they cannot be used. Notonly is'it necessary to provide a pre-fabricated wax treated paper blankprovide for sterilization and also to preve t moissuitable for forminginto liquid tight packages for ture absorption, but it is also essentiali order storing and transporting milk and other liquid 2 to meetcompetitive costs, that the container be food products, sucl; blankbeingiflexible and havof flexible materiil SOyihgt they 081.? be shippeding a resistance moisture a ter forming to a in an inexpensive noc owncond ion. unit container, and after a heat treatment with I have nowfound that I can make a container I steam for desired sterilization, sothat the blank 3 which meets all the necessary commercial remay besterilized and the products placed in the 0 quirements as well as beinginexpensive and of 00131138112119! carbetpasteiuriged irti situ. fattractive appearance. In accordance with a 1' e1 0 J80 s an a an ages 0my m enpreferred form of embodiment of my invention n wi ppear from thefollowing discl s re f as shown in Fig. 1, this includes the use of asupa pre e red form of d e t o my invention porting structure for thecontainer, generally tlaikeii i3 cofilnectign wth thisi alttached dr wmindicated at 10, which supporting structure may 1 us ra ve e o .an m w cbe of a heavy Kraft'paper, a molded pulp mate- Fig. 1 is a perspectiveview of the container rial, or other ujt b]e material but the one I 12?1 2 broke? y; prefer is heavy ground wood board. This con- 2'. is ahorizontal crosssection on the line 4 stitutes the mkrmediate layer 2 22 thereof; Within this container, I use a wax paper liner f 3 is a planof p g q blank 14 which is preferably a bleached sulpl'ii'te paper ormaking the novetle con mers erem and approximately 30 pound weight andof good wet showing he glumg strength. This is treated with a coatingmatea plan shqwmg the mmal step rial of wax base which is firm,non-tacky, and of z g p g g the blank moisture proof at 2259 F. toprovide an inner g: 52 5:2 22 the Man coating l4 thereon. Coatingmaterials of such a blank Fi 4 com letel p y character are well known tothose skilledin the p art and are disclosed, for example, in U. S.Patent Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 showing the I 5 No. 2,054,115to Abrams et a1. Inner coating I4 edge gmmg tabs foldgd over and ontoadjacent is also resistant to moisture at this temperature wall panels;

7 is a bottom plan View f structure and I can steam sterilize thepackage just priorof Fig. 6, showing the folded-over fin seams t to itsuse, which is especially desirable. The the edges of the flat-foldedcontainer and showcoating may be provided by means of an coning thebottom fold lines; ventional procedure and is preferably applied by asuitable coating machine to a thickness in the range of 0.001 of an inchor less.

The outer coating "5 is also preferably constituted of a wax materialbut ordinarily it does not require a coating material of such a highmelting point or resistance to temperature as the inner coating. I alsofind that I can pasteurize milk directly in the container which is avery economical and desirable procedure. In such case, the outer coatingmust be a wax material which is still non-tacky at about 160 F. forconsiderable time to assure stability in the long period ofpasteurization which is about 45 minutes at 143 F.

If desired, the outer coating it can also be coated on the supportinglayer by a coating machine or otherwise, and it is preferably firmlyadherent thereto. On the other hand, the inner liner it may or may notbe integrated with the supporting layer it. If all of the layers are tobe laminated, the process described in my issued United States PatentNo. 2,125,758 issued on August 2, 938, is preferred.

The novel construction hereinabove may be prepared from special blanks,all as illustrated in Figs. 3, to 13, inclusive. In this construction, aspecial blank 20, of generally rectangular shape, is provided with aplurality of main wall panels 22, 23 and 24 defined by centra1longitudinal line 25, side longitudinal fold lines 26 and 2?, end or topfold lines 28 and bottom or transverse fold line 29 parallel to foldlines 28. The bottom panel structure, designated herein by the numeral30, includes the longitudinal fold lines recited above and a centraltransverse fold line 32 dividing the blank horizontally into twosymmetrical portions. The bottom section 30 is provided further withdiagonal fold lines 33, 3t,

and 36 severally extending from central longitudinal fold linesubstantially adjacent to transverse fold lines 29, and terminating atlateral longitudinal fold lines 27, likewise substantially adjacent tothe transverse median fold line 32 of the blank. The bottom section willbe seen to be divided into a central diamond or lozenge having generallytriangular sections 37, and four triangular sections 38 around theperiphery thereof, and bounded by cross fold lines 29, and side foldlines 26, 21, as well as the diagonal fold lines 33. 3t, 35 and 36,previously noted. At the extremities of the several panels 2!, 22, 23and 24, are formed integral tabs or top sections 50 and 4 I, thesections as being integral with the diagonally opposite panels 2|, 2dwhile the end or tab sec- I tions il are severally integral with thediagonall apposite panels "22, 23. Tabs and 6! are both generallytriangular and are formed with symmetrical told lines t2 formingisosceles triangles with the fold lines it. A pair of triangular tabs 53having central longitudinal fold lines M are formed exterior-1y of thefold lines 32. .A V- shaped cut-=out d5 is formed in tabs dl, while anintegral ii-shaped panel at, separated from an end tab at by fold line59, is formed in a corresponding position of tabs 50.

The inner surface of the blank 20, as shown in Fig. 3, is provided withmarginal edges 58 on which are disposed glue lines or strips 50,coextensive therewith. The triangular bottom panel sections 38 areseverally provided with triangular glue lines 5! which are substantiallyc0- extensive with the marginal edges of the several triangularsections.

Referring now to Fig. 4 the blank 20 is shown in the position obtainingwhen the bottom section is folded along transverse fold line 32 and theglue lines or patterns 51 are contacted with and secured to the adjacentpanels 2l, 22, 23 and 24 and the contacting sections of glue lines ofthe bottom panels are severally contacted with the glue lines of thefins 18. When this occurs the panel or triangular sections 38 arepermanently secured together leaving the bottom sections 31 free but infolded-up condition, as shown more in detail in Fig. 8.

The next step in the formation of the novel container is the folding ofpanels 23, 24 along transverse fold line 29, over and on panels 2|, 22with the glue lines it of side anels it being mutually contacted andsecuring the structures in interlocked condition. As shown in Fig. 5,the outer portions of side walls or segments it are severally providedwith strands or glue lines 52, which secure the fins l8 to the adjacentwall panels when the fins are folded thereagainst on fold lines 26, 21,respectively. The fiat-folded container will assume the condition shownin Fig. 6, with the bottom panel 30 folded up internally thereof asshown in Figs. '7 and 8. Upon squaring up the container, as by applyingcompression along diagonally opposed fold lines 26, 21, the side wallswill square up to assume the position shown in Figs. 9 to 13, with thebottom panel 30 being snapped downwardly along central fold line 25 andthe transverse fold line 32, so that it assumes a generally dished shapewith its segments locked to provide stiffening and supporting braces orsections for the side walls of the package.

Referring now to Figs. 11 to 13, inclusive, there is shown the method ofsealing the top of the container. The tabs or triangular sections 40, Mare secured in the following manner. The inner surfaces of tabs at areprovided with adhesive 53, and the outer surfaces of sections 43 ofclosure panels 50 are provided with glue patterns 54. The opposed tabsor terminal sections 40 are moved inwardly of the mouth of the containerand the glued tabs 48 are secured together, as shown in. Fig. 12.Thereafter, the side wall tabs 4| are moved inwardly so that their sidesections 45 are engaged and contacted with the gluing patterm 54 on thesimilarly positioned sections of closure panels 40. This gives acompletely liquidproof top seal, as shown in Fig. 13, with no leakagepossible, due to the interrelation of the closure parts.

It will, of course, be understood that the sealing of the top of thecontainer will be efiected only after the package has been filled withcommodities. The package is adapted to handle liquid commodities ofvarious sorts including milk and milk products as well as powdered orgranulated food materials. In use, the terminal tab 33 may be torn off,exposing the contents to view and permitting the pouring out of thesame.

The containers may be initially fabricated and shipped in theflat-folded form shown in Fig. 6 and thereafter erected at the place offilling and the filled container sealed in the manner described above.

The invention is particularly suitable for collapsible milk containersof the type described in my co-pending application Serial No. 255,030.filed February '7, 1939, but it will be apparent that it is suitable forany form of paper food container. By paper, I include pulp and relatedcellulose products, and containers made by moulding or in the folding ofblanks. It is of especial advantage with prefabricated blanks which cani like sections of adjacent be completed as to body, liner and coatingprior to shipment to the dairies or other place of use. In such case,the user need only spring open the blank to container size, sterilizethe interior and fill with the desired product. No wax coating or otherexpensive step need be carried out by the consumer. The economy ofinitial material, and subsequent inexpensive sterilization aresubstantial advantages of this product.

While I have described a preferred form of embodiment of my invention, Iam aware that other modifications may be made thereto, and I thereforedesire a broad interpretation of my invention within the scope andspirit of the description herein and of the claims appended hereinafter.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declarethat what I claim is:

1; In a container for foodstuffs including milk which comprises acellulosic supporting body, and a fluid-tight coating at least on theinner surface of said supporting body, said coating being constituted ofa material of wax base having a melting point sufficiently high toretain its fluid-tight character after exposure to the sterilizingaction of steam for several minutes, the said container having agenerally square cross section with rectangular wall panels and asnap-down bottom panel with diagonally opposed fin seams joiningadjacent wall sections, said fin seams being folded over on a wall paneland secured thereto, the improvements comprising a top closure havinggenerally triangular tabs formed at the tops of the wall panels andintegral therewith, two of the said tabs having terminal lugs or carssecured together and the angular sides of the tabs having folded pleatsinterfolded and secured to tabs whereby to form a hermetic top closure.

2. In a fluid-tight container adapted to with stand sterilizing andpasteurizing temperatures and pressures which comprises a supportingbody of fibrous cellulosic board, a flexible inner liner within saidsupporting coating on the inner on the outer surface of body, and afluid-tight surface of said liner and said supporting body, saidcoating. consisting of a material of wax base having a melting andsoftening point sufliciently high to remain fluid-tight andsubstantially non-tacky after exposure to sterilizing and pasteurizingto one hour,

agents, the improvements comprising a container having a generallysquare cross section with rectangular wall panels and a snap-down bottompanel with diagonally opposed fin seams 'joining adjacent wall sections,said fin seams being folded over on a wall panel and secured thereto.

3. In a fluid-tight food container capable of withstanding sterilizingtemperatures and pressures which comprises a main body of fibrouscellulosic board, an inner flexible liner in said main body, afluid-tight coating on the inner surface of said liner and on the outersurface of said supporting body, both of said coatings being constitutedof a material of wax base, said coating on the liner having a meltingpoint sufficiently high to remain fluid-tight after exposure tosterilizing agents at a temperature of at least 212 F. for severalminutes, and said outer coating having a melting point sufliciently highto remain fluid-tight and non-tacky after exposure to pasteurizinginfluences at a temperature of about F. for periods of about one-halfhour the improvements comprising a container having a generally squarecross section with rectangular wall panels and a snap-down bottom panelwith diagonally opposed fin seams joining adjacent wall sections, saidfin seams being folded over on a wall panel and secured thereto.

4. A fiat-folded paperboard container erectable into squarecross-section, comprising a sheet of material folded on itself andhaving the opposite edges of its opposed faces secured together toprovide an open mouth, the opposed faces having parallel longitudinalscore lines defining front and back wall panels and side wall panels, an

iniolded bottom section having a top fold line perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis of the container, the marginal edges of thefiat-folded container and bottom being adhesively secured to formlateral fins, and the said fin in and secured to and on the side wallsof the container, the bottom being provided further with angular foldlines extending from the fin fold line to the wall panel fold lines andto define comers which are severally adhered to adjacent wall panels,the diagonal fold lines of the bottom being adapted to arch downwardlyupon squeezing sides of the fiat-folded container to form a bottom, andthereby erect and maintain the container in its open position.

HARRY F. WATERS.

being folded

